The Budget Axe Falls… on me

So I deliberately didn’t write about the budget yesterday. I was too annoyed and I would write the wrong thing. But today, I am a little calmer. This post is about how the budget affects me, expect broader posts as the week go on. Basically this is a rant!

Overall I am not happy with the budget. That is fairly obvious. While I myself am not massively hit straight away, my pay package from the 1st of January will be hit with the Universal Social Charge.

This budget also limits my choices in furthering my education. The €200 charge on Post Leaving Cert Courses means that it will cost in the region of €500 to do the course I was planning to do next year, which means I have to now reconsider my options. Is this what we want for our knowledge economy? One where people have to figure out whether they can attend college. The higher education student contribution of €2,000 rules out university for me.

Thankfully none of the other cuts will affect me in any major way. But I am annoyed with the cuts in pensions for those under 65, and the cuts in careers allowance and tax credits. How does that make it a progressive budget?